Lily's Letter
by itsLisey
Summary: Petunia is jealous of her sister. When Lily receives her Hogwarts letter only shortly after the two row, things become even more tense between the sisters.


"Mummy, have you seen my trainers?" A girl just shy of thirteen glided down the stairs and into the kitchen where her mother, an apron tied tightly around her waist, was kneading a thick dough. She turned around to look at her daughter and frowned.

"And why would I know where your trainers are? I haven't worn them," her lips pursed. "Ask Lily. Maybe she moved them."

Petunia frowned as well. "I'm not talking to Lily."

"Again?" Mrs. Evans chuckled and wiped her hands on her apron. "What has she done this time, then?"

"She's playing with that Snape boy," whined the girl. She took a seat at the kitchen table and rested her head in her hands. "He's trouble, mother."

"It's good of your sister to befriend the boy." Petunia's mouth fell slightly agape. "Don't look at me like that, Tuney." A tiny smirk lifted her lips. "The boy hasn't one friend. From the likes of his father, it's a wonder he's as normal as he is. Met the man just a few days ago, and he has quite the temper." The mother nodded to herself and frowned. "It's a shame, really."

"He isn't _normal!_" Petunia spat. "You've barely met him! He's _odd._He does odd things! Just like Lily can," she spluttered. "But of course you don't believe me about _that_either."

"Flower petals can move through the wind, Petunia. It's just a little make believe on her part. If it bothers you so much, just ignore her." Mrs. Evans poured a small glass of milk for her daughter. "It's just a bit of fun. You were her age just shy of two years ago, you know."

"It's nonsense." Petunia stared bitterly at the milk. "I wasn't like that."

"You and Lily are very different," she sighed. "Very different indeed." Her chair scraped across the wooden floor and she went back to the counter. "Why don't you help me with dinner? I could use a few more hands,"

Petunia stood as well and smoothed out her dress. "I fancy a read by the pond," she muttered. "That's why I was looking for my trainers."

"Have you finished all your summer studies?"

With her nose upturned, Petunia sighed exasperatedly. "Of course _I_have," she said with pride. "I finished a week ago. Finished in a month, I did. I think that's a new record. It's _Lily_who hasn't even _opened_her books,"

"What are you going on about?" chuckled Mrs. Evans. "I looked at Lily's work last night. She's nearly finished."

"What? No!" Petunia took in a sharp breath. "No, that's impossible. She's cheating, then! She hadn't even opened her books last time I checked!"

"And when was that?"

"Only a week ago!"

"Perhaps she's just been working on it very quickly."

Petunia ignored her mother and strutted out the back door. The sun was peeking casually from behind a fluffy white cloud. It was sunny in Cokeworth that day, a rarity in itself, as all the residents were quite accustomed to the long, dreary, rainy days that occupied most of the summer. Petunia crossed their great backward and walked downhill towards the hammock that Mr. Evans built at the beginning of the holiday. It was quite comfortable, Petunia found, and she loved the days where she could lounge by the pond and read a book or nap. Most importantly, however, it gave Petunia a very good view of where Lily and Severus Snape played across the bank. She watched with mild curiosity and a heavy dose of jealousy as they ran among the weeds and tumbled through the tall grass shouting things back and forth. Needless to say, Petunia had been reading the same book on the hammock all summer. She watched for hours as her younger sister fraternized with the scrawny, poorly bathed boy from Spinner's End.

As Petunia reached her hammock, she was abruptly thrown from her thoughts by Lily and Severus. The two were sitting in front of the hammock, not on it, and counting curiously shaped rocks that were strewn out in front of them. They were giggling. Stomping up towards them, Petunia cleared her throat. Lily looked up and frowned when she saw the look on Petunia's face.

For being sisters, Lily and Petunia looked absolutely nothing alike. Petunia's face was long and thin. Her lips, much like her cheeks, were pulled tight in an almost ever present frown and they were very thin. Mousey brown hair was cut just above Petunia's shoulders and always very straight, and her eyes, a dark, repressive brown, seemed to always be looking down in disapproval. The lines that creased her forehead made Petunia look much older than she actually was by a year or two, and her pasty white nose pointed straight out. Petunia was also very tall, the tallest girl in her class, and she towered over Lily. It wasn't that Petunia wasn't pretty. Mostly, it was that Petunia always grew up but never grew out, and it gave her the look of a very tall pole wearing a dress. Lily, much unlike everyone in her family, had fiery red hair that fell nearly past her bottom in thick waves. Her eyes were a piercing shade of emerald green and at the start of every school term Lily never evaded the small comments on how beautifully unique the color was. Her skin was a creamy tan, more caused by the constant exposure to sun outdoors than anything genetic, and little brown freckles dotted her rounded cheeks. She didn't have a pointed nose like Petunia and their mother, but instead she had the rounded nose of their father. To Lily, it was the only physical characteristic she received from either of her parents. Lily was unique in personality and outer beauty, something that very few people ever let her forget.

"I'd like to read," Petunia nodded towards the hammock that was blocked to her by the younger children's pile of shiny rocks.

Lily looked at Severus and nodded for him to stand. "We'll go on the other side, then, I s'ppose."

"You shouldn't go anywhere with _him_," Petunia's nose shriveled with dislike, as though a potent smell had just filled the air.

"Severus is my friend, Tuney." Lily said. She looked at Severus, who didn't seem at all phased by Petunia's comment, and she frowned. "If you'd only join us one day, maybe you'd-"

"I don't play silly children's games."

"Fine, sit here with your book and read alone, then. C'mon, Sev." Lily turned around and brushed easily past Petunia who gave Lily a very foul look. Severus collected the rocks from the ground and balanced them in his much too large shirt, as though it were a basket. As he walked past, Petunia stuck out one boney leg and Severus' foot hooked against Petunia's ankle. There he tumbled and all the rocks tumbled with him, most downwards and splashing into the pond. Petunia cackled, not even trying to hide her laughter, and watched as Lily leaned down and hooked her arm with Severus' and helped him up. A thick rip ran against the knee cap of his jeans and a small cut spilled out blood. Lily's eyes were narrowed down in fury.

"How _can__you_be _so__nasty_Petunia!" she shrieked.

"It's just a small cut," her laughter stifled. "He'll live."

Severus frowned and patted his knee. "I'm fine," he muttered to Lily. "Really,"

"Just because I have a friend and you don't have any doesn't give you reason to be jealous or hurt him! What _is_the matter with you?" Lily seethed. "You're such a bully!" A bell sounded off in the distance and Severus' head snapped up towards the sound. He looked slightly panicked, and he started stumbling backwards.

"I have to get home now,"

"Oh wait," Lily cried. "Please stay, Severus. Let my mum-"

"No, really. It's fine." Severus looked down at the rip in his jeans and at the small pool of blood. Before their very eyes, the wound began sealing up itself. The blood vanished, and though the rip in his jeans remained, there wasn't a scratch to be found on the gangly, misfit boy. Petunia's face was contorted in a mixture of horror and disbelief. Lily was standing there only with mild curiosity.

"How'd you do that?" asked Lily, poking at his knee.

"Don't touch him, Lily!" Petunia shouted, grabbing her sisters arm and tugging her back. "He's clearly an alien or, or, or some kind of..."

"Don't be mean," reprimanded the younger girl. She tore herself from Petunia's hold and walked back towards her friend. "You're alright?" Severus nodded. Again, he looked over his shoulder at where the bell sounded a few moments ago. "You have to go, I know. We'll meet again tomorrow." He only nodded and took off running back towards his house. Lily turned to her sister, wholly undisturbed by the fact that her friend had miraculously healed before her eyes. "Cow," she spat and laid back on the hammock before Petunia even knew what she was doing.

Petunia, spluttering still with what she saw, stomped angrily to the edge of the hammock. "You can't say that was _normal!_He's a freak!"

Lily closed her eyes and only smiled. "Perhaps you imagined it all, Petunia. Maybe you've gone crazy. Wouldn't that be rich," she muttered. One of Lily's eyes popped open and she stared longingly at the sky. "Wouldn't it be cool to fly? Though, I reckon flying through a cloud would be very cold, as they're full of water. It would be an interesting way to take a shower," she hummed. Petunia was hovering over her sister with a disgusted look on her face.

"Your head is always in the clouds," she snapped. "When ever will you grow up?"

"Daddy says imagination is more important than knowledge," touted Lily.

Petunia tusked. "Daddy is a fool sometimes."

"How rude. If you haven't anything nice to say-" Lily stopped and stared at the sky. A tiny dot was coming closer and closer, and the closer it got, the more shapely it became. Great wings flapped lightly in the wind and a brown tawny owl came fluttering down and rested on the post of the hammock. Petunia let out a great, horrified shriek, while Lily sat straight up in her hammock. "Well hello there," she laughed. The little owl was hopping on one foot, his leg outstretched so Lily could untie the letter that was there waiting for her. "Aren't you cute."

"Cute?" Petunia shrieked. "It's a carrier pigeon! It could be diseased! What – no! Don't touch it! What are you doing!"

"It's not a carrier pigeon, it's an _owl._Honestly, Petunia. It's brought us a letter. It would be rude not to read it," her fingers finally untied the parchment scroll. "Perhaps it's Gram's clever way of wishing us a happy holiday!"

"Gram's wouldn't send us an owl, Lily."

"Look!" Lily exclaimed. "Look, Tuney! Look! It's addressed to me! Oh my," In thin, slanted green handwriting Lily's name was written across the envelope. "Lily Evans, the hammock by the pond, Cokesworth, England! That's me, Tuney!" she flipped it over and momentarily ran her finger over the thick wax hold. It was in the shape of a shield and four animals were printed in one of the four blocks on the shield. She didn't take the time to look close enough though, and Lily ripped the letter open. Her mouth dropped slightly. "Dear Mrs. Evans," she began. "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted," her breath got quicker the more she read and the more excited she became. "-to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! Term begins on September 1. We will be sending a Wizard to your residence shortly to explain in full about your magical powers. Yours sincerely, Minerva McGonagall. Deputy Headmistress." Lily flipped the paper over excitedly to the next page. "Oh look, a supplies list!"

Before Lily could read even the first line, Petunia snatched the bit of parchment from her younger sisters hands and looked at her condescendingly. "This is a joke," she seethed. "Someone is playing a stupid little joke on you. I bet it's that Snape boy!" Lily jumped up and tried desperately to get her letter back, but Petunia held it high above her head.

"Snape wouldn't do that,"

"There is no such thing as magic. You're not a magician, Lily. There is no such thing as Hogswhatsit. Besides, we're sisters. If you're a, a-" she paused. "-whatever you are, then I'd be too, and I'm older than you."

"It said _Hogwarts!_And how would _you_know? It explains how I can do little things! I can move flowers, Tuney. You saw it. I can make them bloom when they haven't yet. If I just touch them, watch this, here-" Lily bent down and picked a flower from the bushes that hadn't yet bloomed. With it laying flat in the palm of her hand and her eyes narrowed in pure concentration, Lily waved her hand over the flower. Just as her hand skimmed the top, the flowers petals slowly opened up. Her face broke into a smile, but fell when she saw that Petunia's was still only squished in anger. "I'm a witch, Petunia."

"No," Petunia said hotly. "You're weird. You're not normal. Something is _wrong_with you."

"Give me my letter." Lily demanded. "Give it here!"

"Here's your stupid letter," Petunia slammed it against Lily's chest, causing the tinier girl to stumble backwards onto her bottom. "I'm telling Mummy. She won't let you go, you know. It's just a horrible prank. No _Wizard_will be showing up on our doorstep!" Lily watched as Petunia hurried off into the house, her long legs carrying her much quicker than normal.

"I _am_normal," Lily whispered to herself. "I am normal."


End file.
